Rule Britannia – British in Checkpoint Charlie

The British Armed Forces of the 1960s and 1970s have pivoted from maintaining the Empire to focusing on fighting a war that never comes in Europe. Lessons learned in WW2 saw their tanks emphasise being able to take and give a hit (and brew a passable cup of tea) whilst mobility was very much the dump stat. The Infantry continues to be an entirely professional force, balancing the needs of NATO with various foreign adventures that allow them to keep their hands in.  Britain still has a large military industrial complex so most designs are British, sometime uniquely so, but NATO standardisation does mean the M109 and F-4 appear here as they do elsewhere.

Tank Formations

The British start the Checkpoint Charlie with the Centurion as the Main Battle Tank of the British army.  By this point the 17pdr of the Mk.1 had not only given way to the 20pdr, but that had, itself, been superseded by the new L7 105mm rifled main gun.  The L7 gave NATO medium tanks the ability to reach out and beat not only their counterpart’s, the T-55 and T-62, but also the heavy tanks, like the IS-3, that had previously required the Conqueror.  In doing so, the tank that had unified Cruiser and Infantry tank doctrines now started the path to being a true MBT, combining Medium and Heavy tank roles.  

In Checkpoint Charlie the Centurion has comparable armour to its peers (the M48 and T-55/T-62), better firepower than the M48/T55 and comparable firepower to the T-62 (though the Russian tank trades static RoF and accuracy for a slightly harder hitting round.  What it does lose out on is mobility; a stabiliser helps, but that movement stat is decidedly sedate!  Sadly the Meteor engine is showing its age.

The Chieftain was designed to be the first true Main Battle Tank, combining the armour and firepower of a heavy tank with the mobility of a medium tank.  Like the T-64, it acts as a bridge from 2nd generation tanks to 3rd generation, though it lacks the early composite armour that the T-64 sports, instead brute forcing it with thicker, more extremely sloped, steel armour.  Also like the T-64 is tried to do something novel with the engine by using an opposed piston two-stroke technology to make a lighter/more compact engine.  The new technology didn’t meet expectations for either tank, and the L60 on the Chieftain was always an underpowered, unreliable power plant that got better (compare the stats below to the Choeftain of TY) but never got good.

Still, as Meatloaf sand, two out of three ain’t bad.  Good armour, good gun, poor mobility.

In Checkpoint Charlie, that translates to a tank with joint best FA for a non-heavy tank, the best gun for a non-heavy tank and Dash speed that lag behind the other Mediums and Mains and even some heavy tanks!  That said, it has a stabiliser and so can cruise around at Tactical perfectly fine, thought it’s definitely at its best firing from the halt.  That said, all that performance doesn’t come cheap; it’s the Challenger ROMOR of Checkpoint Charlie, basically.

If the Chieftain is the harbinger of things to come, then the Conqueror is the ghost of tankmass past.  The original answer to the IS-3 problem, it combined a derivative of a US 120mm AA gun with a heavily armoured hull and turret, able to withstand the inevitable return fire.  However, it also used the same Meteor engine as the Centurion, so mobility left a lot to be desired as it could barely deal with the 50t Centurion let alone the 60t Conqueror!

Interestingly, the Conqueror can outshoot the Chieftain on a shot-for-shot basis, having both a longer range (48”/120cm) and anti-tank (AT23).  But it’s 120mm rounds are a good deal bigger than the Chieftain’s, and it shows in the rate of fire. 2/1 for the new boy vs 1/1 (slow firing) for the Conqueror.

The Conqueror can definitely kill any Soviet tank down range of it, but its slow speed and slow rate of fire meant that the “good enough” answer of just upgunning all the Centurions to L7 guns meant its time was up.  The Conqueror would go from forming one squadron of each regiment to being retired early in the Checkpoint Charlie period.

Each tank formation has the same basic form:

• A 1-2 tank HQ and two to four three-tank troops of all the same tank.
• Chieftain and Centurion troops get a fifth tank box with Conquerors (which tended to be issued out a troop per squadron rather than all contained in one squadron)
• A Swingfire troop
• An Abbot battery
• A Scorpion recce troop (a little anachronistic given it didn’t appear till 1973 so, strictly, only Chieftains should really have it) 
• A mechanised infantry platoon.

It’s a well-rounded formation, only really lacking anti-air.  I think there’s a lot to be said for a Centurion Squadron with a couple troops of Cents, some Abbots and infantry, and a Swingfire troop to basically do the same job, lob AT23 48” downrange, as the Conqueror but far more points effectively.  Chieftains are going to be a “one-drop” reserved support platoon at best, sadly.

Infantry Formations

The British have some of the best infantry in Team Yankee and the same holds true for Checkpoint Charlie.  Combining a decent sized platoon with strong soft stats (skill 3+, assault 3+ and counter-attack 3+), the icing on the cake is the Carl Gustav being on a medium stand to make it more effective in the assault.

The Infantry can ride around in FV432 or the Saracen wheeled APC (still being used in the infantry divisions).  The Saracen isn’t as mobile as the FV432 but does have a touch more front armour, though are only talking 2 vs 1 and the Saracen is top armour 0 due to its wheels.  Still, handy if you have the models for Late War Leviathans!

The only real downside with the infantry is the lack of an Anti-Tank Guided Weapon in platoon.  Some infantry did have Vickers Vigilant (which do appear elsewhere) but I’m told it was more the light infantry units like the Airborne.  Still, the Charlie G is more than enough to beat any Soviet tank in the side, though the T-64 and T-10M are not assured kills.

Instead, the British lean on a new version of an old favourite, the WOMBAT recoilless rifle.  Realising that the BAT (Battalion, Anti-Tank)was a bit over-engineered, the British first removed the gun shield to create the MOBAT, then went through a more fundamental reengineering of the gun to create the even lighter WOMBAT (allegedly WOMBAT stands for Weapon of Magnesium, Battalion Anti-Tank though I have seen some dispute if any Magnesium is actually present in the gun…). 

The WOMBAT has an impressive AT19 shot, but is relatively short ranged at only 28” (70cm) in range and only RoF1.  Its a good ambush gun though and you can have a big platoon of 6 of them.  Interestingly, the rules mention the fact that the gun could be dismounted from the 432 in the fluff, but doesn’t have any rules for doing so.  One for the house rules…

The formations has:

• A HQ which can include up to two GPMG teams to attach out.
• Two to three infantry platoons.
• An Abbot battery
• A FV432 mortar battery
• A Wombat platoon
• A Scimitar CVR(T) platoon (again, just squeezing in period)
• Either a Chieftain or Centurion Troop

I’m playing around with the idea of a defensive focused for that has a HQ with two GPMG, two full platoons, a 4 gun Abbot battery, a 4 gun mortar battery, a six gun WOMBAT platoon, 4 Scimitars and 3 Chieftains, backed up by an OP.  The nice thing is that, WOMBAT aside, I have all that to hand!

Sadly, no airborne or Royal Marine forces so the FV432 Mech Infantry is the only infantry formation we have.

Cavalry Formations

We get two Cavalry formations in the British Force.  Wheeled and Tracked.

The Wheeled Recce Squadron reflects the sixties with the Saladin wheeled armoured car being the basis of the formation.  A chunky armoured car on the same chassis as the Saracen (which is the HQ for the squadron), the Saladin sports a medium velocity 76mm L5 gun.  It’s not quite as punchy as the Scorpion’s 76mm L23 but AT11 is still more than enough to deal with any enemy recce and threaten the side of most medium tanks.  Mobility is pretty good though wheels mean its only cross 4+.

The Saladin can either be fielded as a troop of three armoire cars, or as a troop with two Saladin and two Daimler Ferrets.  The Ferret is the spiritual successor to the Daimler Scout Care, being a light, speedy, scout.  One of the ferrets just sports a browning whilst the second sports a pair of Vickers Vigilant ATGW on the sides like a Sherman Tulip on steroids. The Vickers Vigilant is a manual command guided missile that had a combined launch tube and stand.  It has a very impressive AT20 though relatively short legs at 32”/30cm.  It does give the Wheeled Recce Squadron some bite against tanks though.

A Wheeled Recce Squadron has:

• A HQ with two Saracen APC and a Ferret
• Two to Five Saladin Troops
• A Saracen Support Troop (5 GPMG/LAW stands, each riding a Saracen APC)

I quite like this formation.  It’s surprisingly punchy with the 76mm guns and the Vigilant though It’s going to be pricey to collect.

The Tracked Recce Squadron is based around the Scorpion  CVR(T).  It’s much like its Team Yankee equivalent, save you can’t field any Scimitars and the Striker isn’t present.  The AT14 shots of the Scorpion make it very pricey for this time period; over double the cost of a TY troop!  The AT14 gun does go someways to dealing with the lack of ATGW, but “Sneak and Peak” makes getting the side shots you need a very dicey proposition! 

Support

Like all the NATO forces in the book, the Brits get short barrelled M109 (though in a battery of up to 8 guns), AH-1 Cobras (as US support; I haven’t found a 1:100 Westland Scout to proxy in) and the F-4 Phantom.

The RAF adopted the F-4M (RAF designation Phantom FGR Mk.2) in 1968 (1969 for the first frontline unit) after the collapse of the TSR2 project, then the plan to buy F-111K fell through.  The F-4M combined the proven US airframe with the Rolls Royce Spey engine and some British electronics, including a navigational and attack package that was originally ear marked for the TSR 2. Armed with a podded 20mm Vulcan on the centreline and a mix of Mk.17 1000lb bombs and SNEB rocket pods, the F-4 proved a sturdy ground attack aircraft. 

In game terms the 20mm and 1000lb bombs are much the same as the US equivilant but the SNEB packs a much hardier punch (AT 3, FP4)  than the cluster bombs of the US version (AT1, FP5), aren’t one-shot and have an impressive 20”/50cm range, making it a bit easier to avoid the enemy air defence than the 6” bomb lob of the US aircraft!

Continuing the trend started by the Saladin and Saracen of reusing Late War Leviathan* models, the Hornet turns up in an anti-tank box.  Combining a lightweight, barely armoured, chassis with a massive, oversized, gen 1 ATGW, the Malkara is showing its age somewhat.  AT18 is in line with the TOW, but the Vigilant and Swingfure are both doing the job better and don’t have the “back blast” trait giving their position away!  Still, it helps bolster the ant-tank of the infantry.

Continuing the theme of odd missiles; the Rapier is here!  With BF finally embracing gun teams again, we get the original towed Rapier.  Looking like R2D2 methed up brother, the Rapier is a largely static missile system putting out two FP3 shouts out to 64”/160cm a turn.  However, its need to see the target does limit it at night; we are pre-Darkfire here.  No IR means it’s going to be very limited in a night game!  It’s also a 4+ save, though it can at least be dug-in.

Still, it’s the only dedicated AA the British get, so beggars can’t be choosers.

Interestingly, it may also be a plastic model.  Something of an odd choice (plastic ASU-85/BTR-50/PT-76/Shilka kit when?), though assembling the resin and metal tracked Rapier (twice given I have both European and Desert Storm versions…) makes me hope that it is correct and it is plastic…

The British also get access to a recce box with Scimitars or the Fox CVR(W) armoured car (do a Barrel roll!)

Dusting off the Cupboard

A Team Yankee player will be able to bring their infantry, CVR(T) and (W), FV432, Abbots, Swingfire and Chieftains (non Stillbrew) over to Checkpoint Charlie with no issue.  Late War Leviathan players can bring their Saracen, Saladin, and Hornets over.  The Centurion 105 and Conqueror are also in Clash of Steel so any players with those are in a good place too.

My initial read of my collection is that I really need to get some WOMBATS and an extra box for 432s to mount them on.  

I also have a longer term plan to get some more Centurions and some Saladin’s to do a more 1960s focused force at some point.

Conclusions

The British are still the classic combination of stalwart infantry backed up by the slowest tanks known to man that we have learned to love since playing Rifle companies with Churchill tanks in Flames of War. 

The British have some obvious hits such as the Chieftain tank but I think the F-4 Phantom may be the surprise hit with its SNEB rockets as the ultimate counter to BMP spam.